Chu responds to Onion

2/7/13 5:00 PM EST

Outgoing Energy Secretary Steven Chu says he won't confirm or deny a satirical report in The Onion that he woke up after a night of drinking with a solar panel he had just met laying next to him in bed.

"I just want everyone to know that my decision not to serve a second term as Energy Secretary has absolutely nothing to do with the allegations made in this week’s edition of the Onion," he wrote in a Facebook post Thursday.

"While I’m not going to confirm or deny the charges specifically, I will say that clean, renewable solar power is a growing source of U.S. jobs and is becoming more and more affordable, so it’s no surprise that lots of Americans are falling in love with solar."

The Onion's fake story reported that he awoke confused: "'Oh, Christ, what the hell did I do last night?' Chu is said to have muttered to himself while clutching his aching head and grimacing at the partially blanketed 18-square-foot photovoltaic solar module whose manufacturer he was reportedly unable to recall."